25 Days of Christmas
by Setosora77
Summary: This will be a cute romance Christmas story. Beware of mistletoe and lots of romantic antics. Axel/OC AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was originally written for C.D. Meiss over one of our phone conversations, so I decided to make a chapter story out of it. There will be 25 chapters, one every day up until Christmas.

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 1

It was one of those wintry afternoons, you know, the ones where you can see your breath outside and you could almost feel the magic in the air. There was a light snowfall the night before making the ground a silvery white color, crisp and clean. As Axel trudged over the snowy walkway, he shivered, hands in his pockets. Soon, he made it to a wooden door and knocked. Riku answered the door and Axel nodded in acknowledgement of him before asking, "Is Ari home?" Riku sighed, "Yeah, flame head, she's decorating the tree."

Axel smirked over at his girlfriend's older brother as he strode past him into the living room. He could here Christmas music coming from the room and heard a sweet, melodic voice singing along with it at the top of the owner's lungs. He took a few more steps and walked into the room. He saw the blonde girl decorating the tree, putting strands of garland on it and ornaments and so on. Her eyes were filled with childish Christmas joy as she sang along with the music.

He walked over and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, chuckling. It seems she didn't even notice he was there and that was a feat of it's own, seeing how un-natural his hair color was. Suddenly, the stepladder she was standing on started to wobble and she fell off, backwards. It didn't take Axel long to catch her, smirking down at the petite girl in his arms. "Merry Christmas, love."

She smiled, the slight panic melting away from her face to be replaced with more joy. "H-hey, thanks." He smirked again and leaned his face closer to hers, taking great joy in seeing her cheeks flush as he got closer to her. "A merry, merry Christmas indeed," Axel said as he kissed her underneath the mistletoe that was placed on the doorway, right above their heads.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 2

A few hours later, the tree was trimmed up with all its decorations and the couple sat on the couch, Ari laying her head on the redhead's shoulder, their fingers entwined. Axel smiled, just happy to be where he was for the moment. All of a sudden, a sound broke the peaceful silence. His stomach growled and it was then he realized, he hadn't eaten at all that day. Ari giggled, her blue eyes almost looked as if they were smiling. "I'd say that that means we should make some cookies."

He nodded; homemade Christmas cookies were always good, especially with her recipe. He got up, pulling her up along with him and she started towards the kitchen. By the time he had gotten there, she had all the ingredients in the counter. There was flour, sugar, eggs, butter and Ari's secret ingredient, fresh vanilla bean. She had started mixing everything and like every year, that left Axel to get out the cookie sheets. He got a few out and spread some flour on the board where they would rolling out the finished dough.

That's when his utmost concentration was interrupted by a laugh, her laugh. He raised an eyebrow, looking over at her. "Axel, have flour allover your shirt!" She couldn't keep the peals of laughter inside her; they were spilling out like a waterfall. He suppressed a chuckle, "I do, do I? Well, maybe I should share some with you."

He reached hand and gently dabbed some onto her nose. She pouted, "No fair!" And she rubbed some on his cheek in retaliation. "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her and leaving the cookies and his grumbling stomach all but forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 3

Eventually the cookies were put into the oven and the sugary smell wafted through the house, calling to Axel's stomach every waking minute. He was on his knees, face pressed against the oven door, basking in the heat. It seemed to take twice as long for them to bake, at least to him. The timer beeped, startling him and making him fall backwards. Ari opened the oven and took them out to cool.

He walked over and reached to grab one but a mixing spoon hit his knuckles and his hand recoiled. "You know the rules, no eating them until they're frosted." He sighed as she pulled out the white icing, peppermint extract, a couple candy canes and the red food coloring. Soon, the candy canes were crushed and everything mixed together. They got out to knives and began to frost the cookies.

Axel chuckled as he looked over at his girlfriend. Somehow, she had gotten a splotch of icing on her cheek. She looked so cute with her extreme look of concentration. Before she could grab another cookie, she felt strong hands around her waist. He lifted her up and put her on the counter so that they were the same height. He smiled as he put a hand on her cheek and used his thumb to gently wipe away the icing. "You are just too cute for your own good, you know that?"


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: This one was so much fun to write, kind of writing from Axel's perspective just comes naturally. Although, this is probably a bit OOC, I like to experiment with a softer side of him. So enjoy and happy holidays!

Chapter 4

Axel sighed, sitting on the couch, waiting for Ari to come back down the stairs. What felt like hours to him was only about a half an hour in reality but it seemed like forever. What was she even doing up there that was taking so long!? She said she had to get ready to go to Demyx's Christmas Concert but she never did her hair and only put on a little bit of make-up anyway. This being said, he actually preferred her hair down.

Every time she'd try to put it up, he'd just pull out any ponytails or bobby pins or whatever she used to put it up in the first place. The only style beside it being straight down or down but slightly curled was when she put it up in pigtails or braided it, but he definitely preferred the pigtails on her. They made her look cute.

He finally heard soft, padded footsteps coming down the stairs, the sound was almost as soft as steps a kitten would make. He smiled when he saw her; she had indeed put her hair up in pigtails with red holly springs on the ponytails holding them up. She had on a blue and white snowflake scarf and matching mittens and other passively colored articles of clothing that didn't catch his eye too much.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Axel, you're staring… Should I go change?" She looked very aghast, as if afraid that she appalled him but THAT definitely wasn't the case. He walked over briskly and put an arm around her shoulder. "You look great, love. We should probably get going." The pair stepped outside into the cold wasteland that was the outside world.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Yay! Another chapter is up! Enjoy!

Chapter 5

As they walked further and further away from the safe haven of warmth Axel liked to call a house, the bitter winter air seemed to get colder and colder until, he finally realized, Ari had forgotten a jacket. She was shivering next to him, her teeth chattering. He sighed, rolling his eyes at the cliché of the situation. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders as she looked up at him with those bright blue eyes that were full of wonder and delight.

She smiled and he noticed that something white was falling from the sky. Snow? It couldn't be, it doesn't snow in Phoenix, Arizona, even in the wintertime. This had never happened in his lifetime or hers and it probably never would happen again. Snowflakes clung to her eyelashes making her look more childish than before.

As they walked hand in hand, the sidewalk began to become more and more slippery until, and you all knew this one was coming, she slipped on the icy walkway. He held out his arms and caught her, a millisecond later and she would have hit the ground. He smiled as he lifted her back to her feet, "Been walking long?" He chuckled and leaned down, his face close to hers. And they kissed for the third time that day, just enjoying each other and the magic of the holiday season.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: This chapter was a lot of fun; music is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world and so is writing, so combining them was like heaven on a computer, lol!

Chapter 6

The concert hall was empty at the moment except for the three boys inside of it. There was Demyx, tuning his guitar. Roxas was practicing some music on his keyboard and Sora was air drumming his parts as to not make too much noise. The only reason it was known as Demyx's concert was that most of the fans were coming to see him. He had started some solo stuff on his own at the same time as the band had started.

His popularity had increased tenfold over the past year. But he loved playing with his friends so he had decided they should all perform and he'd do one solo song and the other three would be group songs. Christmas was a magical time of year for him, friends and families getting together to celebrate the holidays and the birth of Jesus. A chill entered the room as the door swung open and in walked Axel and Ari. Axel planted a kiss on her cheek as he walked over to his bass and started to tune it to Demyx's guitar.

Ari headed backstage and people started to fill into the hall. It was soon packed, apparently the concert was sold out. Demyx smiled at the amount of people. Being on stage had always excited him and even now he felt the ever familiar sense of excitement coursing through his veins, adrenaline was what some would call it but to him it was pure bliss.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Thank you all for waiting for such a long chapter.

Thanks to mcavoyed for following this story, it is much appreciated!

Also thank you to my first reviewer, . Your review made me so happy!

Chapter 7

Soon, the room is filled with spectators and, as the lights go down, the music begins. The guitar and bass start, followed soon by the keyboard and then drums. Soon Demyx and Roxas' voices join the mix, "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. Don we now our gay apparel, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la."

There is a keyboard solo followed by a drum solo and then bass solo. On the next verse, Roxas doesn't sing with Demyx, Axel does. "Fast away the old year passes, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. Hail to all you lads and lasses, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. Sing our joyous song together, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. While we sing of Yuletide weather, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la."

The rock very of Deck the Halls soon fades out and the sound is replaced by a resounding applause. A keyboard intro starts up as Demyx starts to sing again, "Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains." The drums started up softer as the song melded into a rock ballad and then bass and guitar joined in. "And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains."

Soon Roxas joins in with him, "Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!" Demyx stops singing and lets Roxas continue on without him, "Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? What the gladsome tidings be which inspired your heavenly song?" Axel then joined in with Roxas, "Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!"

Roxas then drops out and Axel is singing alone, "Come to Bethlehem and see Christ whose birth the angels sing. Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn king." Demyx comes back in at this time, "Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!"

And then Axel stops singing leaving Demyx all alone to finish the song. "See Him in a manger laid, whom the choirs of angels praise. Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, while our hearts in love we raise." The song slowly fades just back to keyboard, "Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!" As that song fades out, the rest of the band heads backstage, but Demyx sits down on a stool, which he pulls over from the side of the stage and switches to acoustic guitar.

He strums a few chords and starts the song, "O holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Til he appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! O, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born."

The song fades out as everyone joins him back onstage for the last song, but there is another person with them this time. Ari is there and takes a seat on the stool, which Demyx ditches to stand by a microphone. There is a microphone there for her as well. Sora ditches the drum set and goes over to the set of hand bells that are set up and he, along with Roxas, start the intro to the Carol of the Bells.

Demyx is silent as Ariana starts to sing, her voice light and smooth but conveying an underlying tone of joy. "Ring, Christmas bells, merrily ring. Tell all the world Jesus is King. Loudly proclaim, with one accord, the happy tale. Welcome the Lord! Ring, Christmas bells, sound far and near. The birthday of Jesus is here. Herald the news, to old and young. Tell it to all, in ev'ry tongue. Ring, Christmas bells, toll loud and long.

Your message sweet, peel and prolong. Come all ye people. Join in the singing. Repeat the story. Told by the ringing. Ring, Christmas bells, tell the glad news of Jesus birth. Loudly proclaim, with one accord, the happy tale. Welcome the Lord! Ring, Christmas bells, merrily ring. Tell all the world, Jesus is King!" The song disappears like a breeze on a on a spring day and the applause roars up and doesn't fade out for about ten minutes.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Seriously, does anyone actually watch VHS tapes anymore? All of my Christmas ones got donated so this is for them. R.I.P. Christmas VHS movies, lol? On a slightly lighter note, C.D. Meiss is a muse killer! Just kidding!

I do not own Kingdom hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 8

The pair went back to Ari's house and Axel headed the kitchen. He got out a couple cups and made some hot chocolate. Soon, the cups of steaming, chocolaty goodness were done. He brought them out to the living room, where he saw Ari shivering, sitting on the couch, rubbing her arms, and trying to get warm. Well, it was no surprise that she was freezing. They had had to walk home while it was still snowing.

He set own cup down and handed the other to the pale girl sitting down. Then he went and got a blanket and a couple choices of Christmas VHS tapes. "So, our choices are Here Comes Santa Clause, How the Toys Saved Christmas, or Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." He smiled as she pointed a shaking finger at Here Comes Santa Clause; she was always a sucker for classic Christmas films.

He popped the movie in and as it started, he sat down next to her, wrapping the blanket around both of them and putting arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him and halfway through the movie, started breathing softly, signaling that she was asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 9

The next morning, Axel awoke in the same place they had been watching the movie the night before. Ari was still asleep. He smiled as an idea hit him and he got up from the couch, careful not to wake the slender girl that was still asleep. Half an hour later, he came back with a couple plates of slightly burnt bacon, eggs and way overly burned toast along with two glasses of nonalcoholic eggnog.

He smirked as leaned down to the sleeping girl and kissed her. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," he chuckled as her eyes fluttered open, a slightly blush painted on her cheeks. "Morning," she yawned; it took her a few moments to notice the food. She giggled at the sight of the bacon and toast, Axel never was handy in the kitchen. It was actually very surprising that the eggs hadn't burned as well.

He handed her a plate and they ate quickly, trying to ignore the burnt taste. After finishing her food, Ari looked out the window. She smiled, brightly, noticing the ground was covered in the white powder that is very unknown to native Arizonians. Snow! And it was still snowing at the moment.

There had to be at least two feet of snow covering the ground, making it sparkle in the sunlight. She looked over at Axel, her blue eyes pouting, almost begging him, "Can we go out and play in it? Please?" He chuckled, "Yeah, sure, just go get dressed and bundled up, okay?"


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 10

After donning her coat, Ari came down to see Axel pulling on his own coat by the door. She walked over to him and he opened the door. She ran past him and straight out into the snow, hearing a crisp crunching sound beneath her feet. Axel walked out after her, he never had enjoyed the cold but for her, he would even face the Arctic tundra.

She kneeled down and packed some snow into her gloved hands and created a snowball. She stood back up and chucked it over at him, hitting him straight in the nose. He looked very surprised and then his face took on a very competitive, smirking look. "So that's how this is gonna go down, hm?" He made a snowball and chucked it back, creating an all out snowball war between two, complete with snow forts and everything.

After the fight was over and Ari figuratively, pulled out a white flag, she fell backwards, arms extended. She landed in the snow and moved her arms and legs to create a snow angel. He laid down next to her and made one as well. As they laid in the snow, Axel smiled, he had never seen his girlfriend having so much fun.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 11

The two of them had soon gotten up from the snow and Axel looked around at scenery around him. There were many hills all around and he wondered where he might be able to get a sled. Then it hit him, he had one at home from before he had moved to Arizona. He looked over at Ari who was leaning against the large Oak tree in her front yard. "Hey, I'll be back, okay? I'm gonna go get something!" And with that, he ran off down the street to his house.

He opened the garage and grabbed the sled that was covered with a lot of other junk and then ran back, breathing heavily. She was still leaning against the tree, waiting for him and smiled brightly when she saw the sled, obviously excited. He walked over, slowing his pace, and stopped next to her, setting the sled on the ground. "Go ahead, get on," he said, patting the sled. She rolled her eyes and got on, grabbing to the front tightly as if go not lose her balance.

He bended over and pushed the back off it, pushing it to the top of the hill and got on behind her with one last push, sending them flying down the hill. She screamed in excitement and it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon. They passed several trees and bushes, magically avoiding them but then, it was too late to move or stop, so they crashed into a big pile of snow. Axel got out first and helped her out as well, both of them laughing, not caring about the cold, wetness of the snow that had covered them both.


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 12

Axel was waiting outside as Ari had gone in to get supplies for their snowman. Somehow, she had him wrapped around her little finger once again and had convinced him to help her build a snowman. It most likely had something to do with her ever-fatal puppy dog eyes. She came swiftly out the door, arms loaded down with a variety of items. She tripped down the last steps and everything went flying.

She, however, landed snugly in Axel's open and waiting arms. She turned pink and glanced up at him, with wide eyes. He chuckled, helping her back to her feet and then ruffled her hair. "Well, let's get to work then." She said, trying to recover her original, pale color. He smirked, "Getting a little too hot for you, hm?" She just rolled her eyes, used to his antics by now.

He walked with her over to the objects now lying, disheveled and seemingly forgotten in the moment. There was a black hat with a red ribbon above the brim, a carrot for the nose, seven pieces of coal for the eyes and smile, a red scarf, two sticks and lots of buttons to go down the front. Axel let her organize the items while he started rolling the different pieces for the body. After about ten minutes, they were both done with their assigned projects.

They put all the decorations on the snowman and stood back to admire their work. "Hm - Something's missing." Axel mused, staring at the man made if snow. "Oh, now I've got it!" He walked over and used one of the pieces of coal from him mouth to mark two very familiar upside-down teardrop shaped tattoos under the snowman's eyes.

He replaced the coal and then went back over to Ari. "I'd say that makes it perfect," she said, but he wasn't sure if she was referring to the snowman or to the entire day and frankly, he didn't care as long as he got to spend every last minute of the day with her.


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: So, at this point I'm not sure if I'm inspired or just terrified for my life, lol! One of my friends at school is reading my stories now and she wants me to keep writing! She's really awesome and, of course, who doesn't love band kids! XD I'm pretty sure this inspiration though, I haven't written anything so lighthearted in awhile, so enjoy everyone!

Chapter 13

It was a few hours after the snowman project and the couple had both gotten warm by the fire. It was at this time that Riku walked into the house accompanied by his girlfriend, Xion. Ari popped up off the couch and skipped over to her older brother, "Hey, Ri-Ri! You and Xion wanna do a gingerbread-decorating contest with us? The other guys said that they'd judge it for us!" Riku sighed at the nickname that his sister had deemed him that he hated. Xion giggled, "Ri-Ri? I might have to use that one!" Riku let out a groan, "Not you too, Xion!"

She just kissed him on the cheek, "Sure, we'd love to!" She decided for them both and now Riku would just have to go along with it. So, the two couple headed over the Sora and Roxas' house for the contest of uber Christmas delight. When they got there, Sora answered the door, just about knocking over Ari with a very tight hug. Axel sighed, Sora always got hyper with just the least bit of sugar. So, the group headed to the kitchen where Demyx was along with Roxas.

Demyx smiled, "Hey guys! Everything's ready here so, I guess we should start. First off, here are the rules! You all get thirty minutes to finish your houses, you will be paired up and no sabotaging the houses of others! Is everyone clear on that?" They group nodded and Demyx pressed the start button on his stopwatch, "Your time starts now!" And so, the two couples began construction their houses.

"How about I apply the frosting and you direct me where to put it?" Axel asked the blonde girl next to him. She nodded, knowing that he had way steadier hands than her own. She began point out where and giving little suggestions through the whole time. Overall, their house was being constructed very nicely. And that's when the trash talk started. Riku looked over at his sister and her boyfriend, chuckling, "It looks like it got hit by Santa on one of drunk Christmas Eve's."

He began laughing as Xion reprimanded him quietly. Axel raised an eyebrow, challenging him to continue. "Well, yours look like it got hit by a couple of terrorist, Ri-Ri." Axel said as a comeback, mocking his nickname at the last second. This led to a reprimanding from Ari. And so, the trash talk continued. Well, boys will be boys.


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

Chapter 14

Soon, the timer beeped and Demyx held up a hand in great enthusiasm, "Time's up, step away from your gingerbread abodes!" He was obviously trying to sound like an announcer from a cooking show but was epically failing, but that's only because he's Demyx and Demyx cannot make an epic announcement for the life of him. So the pairs took a few steps back from their creations that they'd worked so hard for the last half an hour. And Roxas, Sora, and Demyx all took turns inspecting them. It seemed like hours but, truly, it was only a few minutes.

Then, the silence that was killing them all was shattered by Sora's hyper voice. "Well, my vote goes to Riku and Xion!" Roxas rolled his eyes at his twin, "My vote is for Axel and Ari." Demyx stood there trembling, "Oh, come on guys! Did you really have to make me the tiebreaker!?" He obviously did not want to be in this position. "Hey, no will hate you, Dem. Just cast your vote already," Axel drawled, nonchalantly, smirking at one of his best friends.

Demyx sighed, "W-well… Um… I vote… Axel and Ari…" He hid behind Axel, as if afraid Riku would come and attack him. But Riku didn't, he sighed, "Demyx, I wouldn't hurt you. Come out from behind Axel." But Demyx refused and so, eventually, Axel had to move away from Demyx. "Hey, guys, Ari and I have some last minute Christmas shopping do so… See ya all later!" And with that, he grabbed his girlfriend's arm and dragged her out the door. The last thing they heard was Riku yelling after them, "So help me, you better not be taking my little sister on that motorcycle of yours! With her luck, she'll end up in the hospital for Christmas!"


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: So, no one will know what Axel is buying in this chapter, it's a surprise for the last chapter of the fanfic. XD But, I'd love to know what people are thinking that he's getting her for Christmas, so review with your guesses! Also, thank you, C.D. Meiss, for helping me come up with the idea on what to give Axel for Christmas!

Chapter 15

So, the two teenagers had headed back to Axel's house where he had run in quickly and had gotten the car keys and then helped her into the passenger side seat. The trip took all of ten minutes to get down to the mall. The car ride consisted mostly of Ari singing along with the radio at the top of her lungs. It's not like Axel minded at all though, in fact he preferred it that way. He thought he voice was really pretty and she usually didn't sing around others, it was only around Christmas time that she would.

They got to the mall and then split up, both saying that they needed to do some shopping for the other person. And with that, Ari started her magical journey, trying to find the perfect Christmas present for her boyfriend. But an hour in, she wasn't having much luck. She had gone through about seven stores consisting of the Toy Store, Hot Topic, Macy's, Forever 21, Dick's Sporting Goods, J.C. Penny's, and Dillard's, but she just could not find anything she thought would be the best gift for Axel.

She was just about to give up when she spotted the pet store. In the display window was the cutest little Collie puppy. She had red fur and brown paws. And so, Ari couldn't resist going to take a look. She had heard from Axel how much he had wanted a dog for the past couple of years but he had never had time to go look for one. Without any further decision, she bought the puppy and called Riku to come pick it up.


	16. Chapter 16

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Hey everyone, I'm sorry I haven't been updating. The holidays were really busy and we had lots of family over so I couldn't really write anything and then school started again. I did get something written yesterday and meant to put it up but halfway through a grammar and spelling check, my computer shut down and wouldn't turn back on. I got it working today, so here is the next chapter. Thanks for being so patient with me.

Chapter 16

An hour or so later, Axel had left the mall after paying for Ari's present. He had to go pick up his little sister, Namine. His mother had said that this year Axel had to take her to get a picture with Santa. There was only one problem. Namine had an extreme fear of the jolly old holiday icon. She always threw a fit whenever she had to go up there. But somehow, Axel had gotten her into the car without a shriek fest and had gotten all the way to the mall. The good news was that she had fallen asleep.

He got in line, carrying the small sleeping child in his arms. A lot of parents were staring at him, he wasn't sure if it was their first time bringing their children here so they might be confused as to why he would bring a sleeping child into the line, but the ones who had been there every year weren't. They were most likely relieved that she was not freaking out yet. The couple hours went by fast; the time seemed to move as if it were going at light speed. Soon, he was at the front of the line and that was when Namine opened her big blue eyes.

She took one look around, saw the fat man in the red suit and started bawling. Axel sighed, "Namine, it's okay. It's not like he's going to eat you or anything." She sniffled a few times and then looked up at him, "Then you sit on his lap, big bwother." Axel's eyes widened a bit at the strangeness of her request. "If I do, then will you?" She nodded, still looking scared, but a bit less.

He sighed and set her down, taking her hand and walking over. "Sir, I have to ask you something," he admitted, sounding a bit annoyed and also very embarrassed. The Mall Santa smiled, a twinkle in his eye, "Yes, young one?" Axel leaned down and whispered in his ear. The gray-haired man didn't miss a beat and nodded, Ho-Ho-Hoing all the while. Axel, after a minute of hesitation, sat down on the older man's lap.

"See, Namine, it's alright." At that time, he heard giggling from the exit. He looked over in the direction of the sound. He saw his girlfriend, with a camera, giggling at his predicament. He got up, helped Namine onto Santa's lap, and then waited for the picture to be taken. After that, he picked up the young child into a piggyback ride and walked over to Ari. "You thought that was funny?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. "No," she smiled and kissed his cheek, "I thought you made an adorable big brother and would make an amazing father to do something like that."


	17. Chapter 17

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter. I just needed something to add in before the party which will be 3 chapters long, the third involving the couple's present swapping. Then there will be five chapters that are a big surprise that have to do with the present swapping chapter. So again, I apologize for the shortness but I'm working on the other chapters as well. Until next chapter, dear readers!

Chapter 17

The ride back to Ari's house had been uneventful. After dropping Namine back off with his mom, he drove back to her house. They both headed inside to wrap the presents they had gotten for everyone before the party that night. A couple of the presents they had gone in on together, such as a package of new sitar strings for Demyx, new struggle kit for Roxas and so on. Ari went upstairs to check on Axel's present.

As soon as she left, Axel had an idea, a very diabolical idea. Ari came back down the stairs but couldn't seem to find Axel anywhere. He had been there a few minutes before, right? Suddenly, a sneak attack was launched! Axel popped out from behind the couch, tackling her to the floor. He chuckled, smirking, as he put a present wrapping bow on the top of her head.

"So, are you my present this year?" the girl smiled up at him, "In your dreams, Axel." 'If things go the way I plan," he thought, 'maybe you will be.'


	18. Chapter 18

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for the long wait! I had regional auditions last week and musical tryouts on Monday. I didn't make either sadly. My week was pretty busy with homework and yesterday there was a scholarship presentation I had to go to for college and so on. This is the first time I've actually had to write for a while, not surprisingly, I'm sitting here during the super bowl. So, please enjoy this beginning of the Christmas party chapter!

Chapter 18

Night fell as the sun sleepily descended out of the sky. Demyx's doorbell had been ringing all afternoon. Finally, there were only two people who hadn't arrived yet. The doorbell rang and Sora pushed Demyx out of the way and opened the door. Axel was standing there, Ari next to him, hand in hand.

Sora smirked, "Hey there, lovebirds." Demyx sighed, "Come on, let them in Sora." So as Sora moved out of the way, the two entered the house. Demyx smiled, "So, you two are late." Axel sighed, running a hand through his hair and then crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "I had a flat tire and then I ran over a cat and two pigeons and almost hit an old blind lady who was crossing the street. Also, I ran into a police officer's motorcycle by accident."

Demyx's mouth dropped as he just started laughing at the terrible luck the pair was having. "Sure, sure, it was an 'accident'," he said, putting air quotes around the word, 'accident'. "It was!" Axel sighed in desperation, "It isn't like you haven't had a bad day once in a while, Dem." Demyx shrugged as the three went further into the house, it was packed with a lot of people that Ari didn't know.

These were people that Axel had never wanted her to meet because one, either all of them didn't believe that Axel actually had a girlfriend that put up with him or two, they were just creepy in general. The group that was over was Demyx, Axel, and Roxas' coworkers from the store they worked at called 'Organization XIII.' Axel knew it was his mission to keep Ari away from the creepy guys for the remainder of the night. And so the craziness began to ensue.


	19. Chapter 19

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Wow, two chapters up in one day! I am on such a roll! Next chapter is my special surprise chapter, so get ready!

Chapter 19

It was harder than Axel expected to keep Ari away from most of the other people. Luckily for him, Xemnas had no interest in girls at all. He was only there because he was everyone's boss. Xaldin hated everyone so no one even knew why he had come. Vexen was there just to hang out with Zexion and Lexaeus who were both discussing the Hunger Games series.

Saix was trying to suck up to Xemnas for a raise like always. Demyx was playing some music on his sitar and Luxord was trying to start up a round of strip poker, which no one seemed interested in playing. Larxene didn't come to the party for some unknown reason and Roxas was hanging out with Sora, Riku and Xion. That left Marluxia and Xigbar for Axel to worry about. Needless to say, it was quite easy to distract Marluxia, just point out some mistletoe and he'd go right over to inspect it, but Xigbar was a way different story.

Axel and Ari had spent the entire night hiding from Xigbar, so when he finally got totally drunk and passed out, from the eggnog in the punch bowl that someone had spiked, Axel was relieved. Soon enough, Demyx got everyone quiet and said that it was time to exchange presents. Axel grabbed Ari's hand, "Hey, I wanna give you your present, follow, okay?" She giggled, "Hold on, I gotta go get yours." He chuckled, "Alright, I'll wait here."

She skipped out of the room and Riku followed her out onto the front lawn. He unlocked his car and Ari grabbed a box out of it that had a few air holes punched into it. She then came back inside and followed Axel into a different room.


	20. Chapter 20

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Three chapters in one day!? The apocalypse must be happening, lol! This is the epic chapter everyone has been waiting for. You'll finally find out what Axel got her as a present! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. P.S., will someone please draw the red and black collie puppy and put it up on Deviantart, I think that that would be adorable!

Chapter 20

Axel led Ari into the other room. "Okay, I get to give you your gift first!" She smiled widely, obviously very excited. He chuckled, "Okay, go ahead, no one's stopping you." She smiled wider as her blue eyes sparkled with child-like joy. She handed him the slightly heavy box and he eyed it slightly suspicious of its contents.

She giggled, "Open it!" He rolled his eyes jokingly, "Okay, okay. I'm going to!" As he gently unwrapped the box, he felt movement coming from inside. 'What the heck is in here?' he thought to himself, quite curious now. The lid came flying off and inside, Axel saw the cutest little collie puppy ever to be in existence.

It had red fur and black paws and one of its ears were black. Its eyes were the same color green as his. He smiled gently as the puppy crawled out of the box and sat happily on his lap, barking up at him for attention. He looked over at Ari, smiled and said, "I love it, this is the best Christmas present I have ever gotten." She nodded as he got up, coaxing the puppy down onto the ground.

"Now, I have something for you. Ari, we've been dating for a few years now. I have loved every moment of time that I get to spend with you each day and every day in the future. You are the light to my darkness and the music to my world. Without you, I am nothing. So, Ariana Hikari," he got down on one knee at this point and pulled out a small black box from his coat pocket, "will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She gasped in surprise as he opened box to reveal a simple gold band. Her eyes lit up even more as she simply nodded, at a loss for words. He got up, held out his hand for hers and she gave it to him. He then slipped the ring on her ring finger. They both knew that this was the start to a wonderful life together as she hugged him with so much force that they both fell onto the floor, laughing. He hugged her around the waist as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much," he whispered. "Love you too," she whispered back.

A/N: So, I could end the story there but I won't. The next five chapters will be wedding planning and the actual wedding. Please review and favorite this story if you want to. I would love to know what everyone thinks so far.


	21. Chapter 21

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: I'm finally back on this story! Inspiration popped out of nowhere today!

Chapter 21

It had been a week since the proposal and Ari hadn't seen Axel since. He'd had to take a trip to go see some relatives who lived in Alaska for New Years. So, while he had been gone, she had begun to make a list of people to invite to the upcoming wedding. Axel wasn't due to get back until the next day so she had some time to decide on who she wanted. Putting her stack of wedding notes aside, she headed into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She had always liked to drink tea when she was nervous before, this time was no different. She grabbed her teakettle and filled it with water and put on the stove to boil.

She sat down at the table while waiting, cross her arms on the tabletop and lying her head down. She sighed; the house felt so empty when she was all alone and when nighttime was approaching. The teakettle soon squealed, signaling the water ready. Now came the fun part, making the tea. The daily routine had a calming effect on her as she let the Earl Grey tea steep for five or so minutes. The tempting aroma filled the air and it put her in a trance and she didn't notice the sound of the door opening. She poured the liquid into a cup and walked over back to the table.

As she pulled out her chair, an arm slipped around her waist pulling her over to the unknown intruder. She dropped her cup in shock and her body froze in fear. She didn't even notice the pain surging through her foot as the broken glass cut her. The person chuckled and leaned down until she could feel their hot breath on her ear. "Miss me?" an all too familiar voice whispered. She visibly calmed down as she recognized the voice. Axel. She looked up into those deep green eyes and a few stray tears slid down her cheeks. "Woah there, what's wrong?" He turned her around, trying to figure out what was the matter.

"You startled me is all, I just missed you." he smiled, "I caught an early flight to come see you." he then noticed the broken glass, "Guess I should have waited until you put that down, huh? Well, come on, let's go tend to that foot of yours." he then picked her up and carried her into the bathroom to remove any glass shards and bandage her foot. "So, pick any people to invite?" He was trying to make small talk to distract her from the pain. She nodded, "Well, only the obvious, Demyx, Roxas, Sora, Riku, Xion." He nodded, "So, got any ideas on who could be the ring bearer and who could be the flower girl?"

"Um, I was thinking Sora could be the ring bearer and Namine for the flower girl?" He nodded, "Good idea." And before either of them knew it, her foot was all fixed. She yawned and Axel chuckled, "Getting late, huh? I should probably head home." She shook her head, "No, I want you to stay with me! Please? Just for tonight." he sighed, he could never refuse this girl anything. "Fine, come on." he helped her up and they went out to the couch. She lay down and he lay beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. He waited until her soft breathing signaled a deep sleep until he kissed her forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams."


	22. Chapter 22

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: I thank my friend (well, technically more than a friend now) Steven for the song choice.

Chapter 22

The next morning seemed to come too quickly for both of them. Ari woke up first, not quite sure what to do or how to get up without waking the redhead beside her. So, she lay there for a few hours until, finally, Axel opened his eyes and yawned. "Sleep well?" She giggled and he nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "So, what's on your agenda for today?" He looked at her, waiting for an answer. "Well, me and Xion were gonna go dress shopping." He smirked, "Cool, I'll come too. I seriously have nothing to do today."

She rolled her eyes, "You can't come, Axel. It's wedding dress shopping. It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the wedding, you know." He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I know. Go, have fun; I'll see you later. Okay, love?" Ari smiled and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. He chuckled as she left and grabbed some clothes to change into. After changing into a cute light green camisole and skinny jeans, she headed outside of the house and down the street to Xion's house. Xion was waiting outside for her as she walked up the gray walkway that up to the porch. The two girls chattered as they got into Xion's car. The black haired girl drove for about half an hour and Lady Gaga was blasting her music on the radio. In the middle of Poker Face, they pulled into the parking lot of David's Bridal.

"So, what colors were you thinking about for the bridesmaid dresses?" Xion asked her friend while walking into the store. "Well, I was thinking maybe a light pink for that, I don't know though. It's just so hard to find colors that wont totally clash with Axel's hair." Both girls started laughing, but they also knew it was a true fact. Then, they headed inside, into the magical world of silky whites and lacey off-whites. The sight of so many dresses was almost too much for Rixa to take in. Xion noticed her just as she was about to fall over and caught her, helping her over to a bench near the right wall of the store. "Th-this is really happening, isn't it? I'm getting married." Xion sighed and rolled her eyes, "You're just a little nervous Rixa, everything's gonna be alright." It took a few minutes to actually convince her to stop hyperventilating and to go try on a dress.

The first was too big on her waist, the second was too tight, the third was way too immodest, and so on and so forth. She tried on about seventeen dresses until they finally came to the perfect dress. It was a strapless white gown with a beaded bodice and billowy looking fabric towards the bottom. She looked way better than any fairytale princess would ever have looked. This was it; they had finally found a dress.


	23. Chapter 23

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: And now, I present, The Wedding, Part 1! The reception is in the next chapter.

Chapter 23

The day had finally come and Axel didn't know why he was so nervous. He shouldn't be, but he was. The church was filled with all sorts of people, their friends and family. Roxas stood at his side, the best man. Roxas and Demyx had had to fight that one out, but finally Demyx conceded to handle the music during the wedding. Sora and Namine were waiting outside the doors for their queue to come in. Xion was currently helping his bride-to-be get ready. He was extremely curious as to how she looked and when he had tried to go in earlier, to get a peek a t her dress, she had thrown a shoe at him. He chuckled at the memory, that was just how she was, his Ariana.

Xion walked in, taking her place across from Roxas. That was Demyx's sign to start up the music. His fingers flew across the piano as the doors open and in walked Sora. He had the ring on a small cushion and slowly walked up, standing next to his twin. Next came his little sister, Namine. He smiled affectionately at her, she looked very cute in her little dress, spreading flowers back and forth. She stood next to Xion. And finally, Demyx began to play, 'Here Comes the Bride.' At that, in walked Ari with Riku on her arm.

Riku was taking the place of a father in this wedding and Axel had worried that this would affect her in one way or another, but it didn't. She seemed even more happy to have it be her older brother that give her away on her wedding day. He took one look at Rixa and audibly gasped. She looked stunning, he wasn't even going to complain about her hair being up because it looked good up for once. She smiled at him, eyes sparkling and he smiled back. The pair finally made it over to where he was and Riku took a step back, letting Ari step up next to Axel as he whispered to his soon to be brother-in-law, "You had better take care of her, redhead." Axel chuckled and whispered back, "Of course I will."

And with that, the ceremony began and passed in a blur until it came to the end. The preacher was extremely serious as he looked at the couple. "Do you, Axel Schafer, take Ariana to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Axel nodded and slid the wedding band onto her ring finger, "I do." Then the preacher turned to her, "Do you, Ariana Hikari, take Axel to be you lawfully wedded husband." "I do," she said as she slipped his ring onto his finger. "I now pronounce you Mr. And Mrs. Schafer. You may kiss the bride." And so Axel did, and both of them didn't notice the clapping or cheering, all they say was each other.


	24. Chapter 24

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this one! Sadly, I think I'm, gonna miss this story, that may be a part of why it's taking so long. But actually, it's mostly because I am a lazy person. Although, if you guys review, chapters will come a lot faster! That being said, please enjoy the second to last chapter.

Chapter 24

The wedding party headed outside of the church and across the street to a hotel. It would be in the ballroom of the hotel that the reception would take place. It was decorated in a lot of silver and black and there was a big open dance floor. The room was soon filled with all sorts of people. The took their set places at the tables and the long table at the front of the room was filled with the bride, groom, groomsmen, brides maids, and close family. Dinner went by quickly and soon the cake was brought out.

It was simple in design, purely white and only three layers. That itself was probably a little much because there were not that many guests to begin with seeing as they had both wanted a small ceremony with only close friends and relatives. On the top tier of the cake was a little statuette of a bride and a groom. It wasn't anything spectacular but it was perfect for them. Axel looked over at his new bride and the smile on her face made him feel even happier than he already was. As was tradition, he took her hand and led her over to the cake as they, together, cut the first piece of cake. He fed her the first bite as loud applause filled the room.

She was about to feed him a bite of the piece when, from behind him, he felt his face being pushed into the piece of cake. As he looked up, he raised his eyebrow at her and she shrugged, giggling and then pointed to the two culprits who were still behind him, Demyx and Roxas. The room was enveloped in complete silence waiting for the groom's reaction. After thirty painstakingly slow seconds, a smile materialized on his countenance and he began laughing. Demyx and Roxas looked shocked but then joined their best friend in his laughter.

What they didn't expect was for a piece of cake to be shoved into their faces in the next minute. Thus, the food fight of the century began. The entire wedding party were grabbing slices of cake and smearing on the nearest victim. After a few minutes, the entire cake was gone and the only ones not covered in frosting were Riku, Ari, and Xion. Those who were a mess headed to the hotel bathroom to clean off and the rest of the party went by as a blur.


	25. Chapter 25

I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Christmas.

A/N: Sadly, this is the last chapter! SOB SOB, CRY CRY! I actually think I might miss it, just a little bit. But I don't want to carry it on any longer! So, here ya'll go! Enjoy and please R & R!

Chapter 25

-5 Years in the Future-

It was an early morning in the hospital and everyone was still fast asleep. Well, it was no surprise that they were still fast asleep even if it was already noon. The night before, another addition had been made to the Schafer family. Along with their twin boys, now age 3, and their 1 year old little girl, Ari had just given birth to yet another beautiful little girl. All of the children had their mother's blue eyes. The twin boys, Jareth and Taylor, both had their father's red hair and mischievous personality to match. One year old Bridgett had blonde hair like her mother and loved to sing and make up stories. Now, their latest little baby was named Suzanne had little tufts on brown hair on her head.

Axel awoke first that morning, looking around as if puzzled to where he was. Then it hit him, his fourth child had been born the night before. He glanced over at his sleeping wife and three other little ones that were sleeping on the floor, cuddled up next to one another. Jareth and Taylor always protected Bridgett from anything even remotely dangerous. That might explain why she was sleeping in between the two boys, their arms placed protectively over her. He chuckled at the sight, thinking about how cute his children could be when they weren't arguing or causing trouble.

The next to awake was Ari. She smiled and yawned as she sat up. Axel rushed to her side, "Hey, take it easy. You did give birth last night." He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, forcing her to lie back down. "You think that on the third time it'd get easier." Her melodic laughter overflowed from her small frame at that thought. "I'm so happy that five years ago, you said you'd be mine." He, childish as it was, climbed into the bed next to her as she laid her head on his chest. She smiled and yawned again, "Even if I had a chance to go back, I wouldn't change one decision." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her as they watched their happy little family in the peace of the moment.


End file.
